Vamp-creasing machine.



APPLICATION FILED 00T. 11, 1907.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911 MTA/5555: iwf/Vm?. M a. 'em @1l/WAV @M C* W* im J.ls. HANSEN. VAMP CREASING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 00T.11, 1907.

Patented Sept. 5,1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. HANSEN, OIE' MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO O. A. MILLER TREEING MACHINE COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

VAMP-CREASING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jol-IN S. IIANsnN, a citizen of the United States, residing` at Medford, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Vamp- Creasing Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a speciiication, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines used in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and more particularly to machines employed in creasing Vamps; that is, machines forl making transverse creases in the vamp between the toe tip and the throat of the vamp.

In order that a machine of this kind may operate properly on different grades of work, such as light shoes made of thin leather, and heavy shoes made of thick or coarse leather, it is of importance that the machine be provided with simple, effective, easily manipulated and readily accessible means for quickly adjusting the amount of pressure exerted on the work.

In vamp creasing machines as heretofore constructed, adjusting means have been provided, but it has usually been located in a position not readily accessible to the operator as, for example, underneath the framework or table supporting the machine, and usually a wrench was required to make or change adjustment. Such construction in practical use resulted in the operator frequently neglecting to make or change the adjustments, in order to save time or trouble or because the wrench required was missing. Thus when the machine was adjusted for heavy work and lighter work was to be performed, if the operator failed to change the adjus"- ments, the lighter vamp would very likely be damaged or cut entirely through. As the creasing operation was performed when the shoe was substantially completed, such damage meant the loss of a pair of shoes.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide in a vamp creasing machine means for making the requisite adjustments which shall be simple, e'ective and easily operated, within convenient reach of the operator and capable of being manipulated by hand.

In vamp creasing machines as usually con- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 11, 1907.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911. Serial No. 396,947.

structed heretofore, the creasing tool has been so connected to its treadle operated mechanism that it was positively moved from its inoperative position, remote from the work, into operative engagement with the work. This construction was unsatisfactory, in that it required a considerable weight or power to be applied to the treadle to position the tool. To obviate this difficulty the machine has been so arranged that the vamp creasing tool is allowed to descend by its own weight and that of its carrier until it is in engagement with the vamp, yielding pressure then being applied to cause the tool to exert the desired amount of pressure on the vamp.

Another important object of the invention is to provide actuating mechanism in a machine of this class so constructed and arranged that the same, or approximately the same amount of power will be exerted by the dies, whatever the amount of power exerted upon said actuating mechanism from the source of power. Such an arrangement is especially desirable in machines which are actuated through a foot treadle or other manually operated device, for without such a mechanism the power exerted on the foot treadle results in variations in the work according to variations in the force exerted upon the foot treadle. In this connection, an important feature of my invention consists in the combination with dies, one of which is movable, with mechanism for actuating said movable die, which mechanism comprises a `member which, in imparting actuating movement to the die, is movable in a path approximately perpendicular to the movement of the die, insuring that substantially the same amount of power will be imparted to the die, whatever the amount of power exerted by, or transmitted through, the movable member. Said movable member is preferably constructed and arranged'to yield in the direction of movement of the movable die, the amount of this yielding movement being preferably adjustable. There is preferably provided, also, means for varying the plane in which said movable member operates.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a machine wherein the application of a suitable amount of heat may be utilized as an additional means of xing and setting the creases. This feature is of considerable importance as the proper application of heat to leather is of great assistance in the operation of molding the leather to preserve and maintain its shape as molded. It is, however, peculiarly diiiicult to apply heat properly to leather-especially to upper leather-because it is so easily damaged by too high a degree of heat or by too near proximity to the heating means.

The machine embodying the present invention as illustrated in the drawings is constructed and arranged to have one of the creasing dies heated while it is somewhat removed from the leather to be operated upon. It is customary to use a gas flame as a means for heating tools in shoe factories and such means is herein shown, but steam, electrical, frictional, or other means might be used.

The foregoing and other advantages and improvements will be now described and pointed out in the claims.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention as shown in the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine with the lower portion of the standard omitted; Fig. 2 is a front view of the upper portion; Fig. 3 shows a shoe with the creases formed in the vamp after it has been operated upon by my improved machine.

The numeral 1 designates the hollow iron standard of suitable shape, open at the front and having an extended horizontal portion 2 at proper height, to support the mechanism. 3 is a three arm lever pivoted in the hollow upper portion of the standard 1, upon the stud 6, which lever is arranged to be oscillated upon said stud, the projecting arms of the lever working through slots in the standard where required. Projecting from the lower arm of lever 3 is a bar 7 extending downward and provided with a foot treadle 8, adjustable on the bar 7 to varyv its verticalk position.

The horizontal extension 2 has rigidly secured to it a work support 9, and said extension 2 terminates at its forward'end ina head 10 which'constitutes a vertical bearing forV the sliding plunger 15. The plunger 15 carries at its lower end the upper die'16, arranged to register with the lower die 17 aiiixed upon the upper side of theforward end of the work support 9. rlhe plunger has a roller 18 mounted in its extreme upper part, and a projection 20 rigidly affixed to the plunger extends rearwardlyv into the three arm lever.

The member 21 is substantially horizontal in position and is pivotally connected at one end to the arm' 4 of the three arm lever, and at its forward end is pivotally connected with the links 22, 22, which links path of the arm 5 of the are pivoted on studs extending from each side of the extension 2 of the standard or frame.

Two springs 24, 24, on opposite sides of the frame, are secured on extended ends of stud 6, and have their other ends attached to the forward portion of the member 21. These springs normally tend to move the member 21 rearwardly and are of sufficient strength to retract the mechanism into the position shown in Fig. 1 after a creasing operation, as will be described.

Near the center of the member 21 is a perforation to admit the stem 28, said perforation being so formed to permit some play to the stem. The lower end of stem 28 is secured to a presser bar 26 near its rear end. The upper end of the stem 28 projects above the member 21, and is screw threaded. A coiled spring 30 is placed around the stem 28 above said member 21 and said spring rests upon the member 21 and bears against the lower thumb nut 29 on the threaded end of the stem 28, which may be adjusted to vary the tension of the spring 30. By this construction the presser bar 26 is yieldingly sustained by the spring 30, and as the spring 30 is contracted by appropriate manipulation of the thumb nut, the presser bar is held with increased force against the bottom of the member 21. The upper thumb nut 29 is a locking nut.

The presser bar 26 is of sufficient length to extend forwardly beyond the end of the member 21 and is normally in contact with said member, passing between the links 22, 22. A screw 32 is set through a threaded hole in the forward portion of the member 21 and is arranged to bear against the presser bar 26, constituting the fulcrum on which the presser bar bears in the operation of the machine. The screw 32 is further intended as a means of adjusting the force and leverage to be applied to the plunger 15 and dies, in addition to the tension afforded by the spring 30. A thumb nut 34 is provided to lock the screw 32 in adjusted position.

The dies'16 and 17 are each removably secured, and may be readily changed for other sizes or styles. The lower die 17 being narrower than the upper die determines the length of the creases and the upper die 16 determines the number of creases and may be adjusted to vary the position of the creases, as it is movable forwardly or backwardly with relation to the lower die so as to register with any corresponding series of corrugations in the lower die 17. The upper die is secured to the lower end of the plunger 15 by a projection 38 fitting closely in a suitable socket in the plunger and secured by a hand screw 36, which catches in a horizontal keyway 37 cut in the projection 38 thus allowing longitudinal adjustment relatively to the plunger and to the lower die. The lower die 17, by means of flanges 40, 40 is held firmly upon a socket in the upper side ofthe forward portion of the work support 9, and is sufliciently held in place by its own weight, or a set screw 42 may be provided.

Means to heat one of the dies, preferably the upper die, is provided by gas burners 44 each suitably held by brackets 45 affixed to the frame. These burners serve to heat the die while it is in inoperative position and hence at a sufficient distance from the shoe being creased so that there is no danger of injuring the shoe by said burners.

A stud 48 acts as a stop to limit the upward movement of the arm 5 of the three arm lever, when it is returned to starting position by action of the springs 24, 24.

rllhe operation of the machine is as follows: The operator having put in the desired dies 16 and 17 and secured them, manipulates the thumb nuts 29 and screw 32 to adjust the machine to exert the amount of leverage and force intended to be applied. r1`he article to be creased, as a shoe, is then fitted on the work support and over the die 17. rlhe work is usually held in desired position by the operator who then steps or presses upon the foot treadle 8, thus oscillating the three arm lever, moving the member 21 forwardly against the stress of springs 24, 24, thereby rocking the links 22, 22, on their studs; depressing the arm 5 and allowing the pluger 15 to descend, by its own weight, until the die 16 rests on t-he upper side of the work. Continued movement of the foot treadle moves the member 21 and the presser bar 26 farther forwardly until the presser bar engages the roll 18 and rides up on said roll. In this operation the presser bar 26 is rocked on the screw 32 as its fulcrum contracting the spring 30 between the lower thumb nut 29 and the member 21, and slightly oscillating the stem 28 in the perforation constructed to allow therefor as previously stated. This action upon the spring 30 and the presser bar 26 simultaneously acts to force the plunger 15 downwardly setting the upper die 16 into the work and cooperating with the lower die 17, thus forming the creases 50 as shown in liig. 3. Indefinite rearward movement of the treadle is blocked by the back of the standard 1, or by any suitable stop. When the pressure upon the foot treadle 8 is released, the springs 24, 24 act to move the member 21 backwardly, simultaneously oscillating the three arm lever by the arm 4 through its pivotal connection with the member 21. In the first part of this reactionary movement, the presser bar 26 is withdrawn from contact with the roll 18 to allow the plunger to be lifted. This occurs before the arm 5 strikes been swung upwardly or outwardly in this backward oscillation of the three arm lever.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-ter Patent lis:

1. In a machine of the class described, oppositely acting dies, a vertically movable carrier for one die, actuating mechanism therefor comprising a substantially horizontal lever arranged to eXert an adjustable yielding pressure upon said carrier and means to increase such pressure after the dies are in operative position.

2. In a machine of the class described, oppositely acting dies, a carrier for one die arranged for vertical reciprocation, and actuating means for said carrier, normally out of contact therewith, comprising a substantially horizontal lever.

3. In a machine of the class described, a movable die, a carrier for the die, and actuating mechanism for the die comprising a part movable in a direction approximately perpendicular to the path of movement of said carrier for actuating said movable die, said part being arranged for yielding movement in the path of movement of the die and a roll mounted'on thev carrier to be engaged by said member.

4. In a. vamp creasing machine, creasing dies, a sliding carrier for one die, a roll on said carrier, a lever arranged to be moved to engage said roll, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of said carrier and mechanism to move said lever and actuate the carrier through engagement of the lever with said roll.

5. In a vamp creasing machine, a lower die, an upper die, a carrier for said upper die movable toward and from said lower die, and means permitting the upper die to assume an operative position inl contact with the work through the weight of said die and its carrier, in combination with means to actuate said die after it has assumed its operative position.

6. In a machine of the class described, creasing dies, a movable plunger to set the dies, actuating mechanism therefor comprising a member movable substantially at a right angle to the path of movement of said plunger, said member carrying a lever arrnged to `Contact With Said plunger, an name to this specification in the presence adjuslsable ulerum for the lever, and adof two subscribing Witnesses. lusta le ieldn .means to cause said lever 1T 350 transliiit theg desired amount of force JOHN S' HANSEB" 5 from the actuating mechanism to said Vitnesses:

plunger. v J. F. COLLINS,

In testimony whereof I have signed my JAMES R. HODDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents eaeh, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

